Comparison of sustainability of irrigated wheat and grain maize production systems with emergy analysis approach (Case study: Dez catchment)

Cereal production systems in Iran are often associated with high costs and low productivity, improper use of inputs causes irreversible damage to the environment. Efficient farm management is one of the most important issues in achieving sustainable performance. This study aimed to determine and compare the ecological sustainability of two production ecosystems of irrigated wheat and grain maize using emergy analysis.

This research was carried out in the cropping year of 2019-2020 in Dez catchment. Interviews were conducted with 400 farmers of wheat and maize based on a questionnaire to collect data on production processes in farms. In this study, the emergy analysis method was selected to measure the sustainability of the desired agricultural products. Finally, the sustainability of the systems was evaluated using the value of emergy indicators.

The total emergy inputs for the irrigated wheat and maize production ecosystems were 1.60347E+16 and 2.54883E+16 sej ha-1 per year, respectively. The results indicated the production of both crops is in an environmentally unsustainable condition, and of all consumption inputs; chemical fertilizers, especially nitrate and phosphate, and then diesel have the most impact on environmental unsustainability in the study area.

As a final result, the ecosystem of irrigated wheat production is more desirable than grain maize in terms of yield, renewability, and environmental sustainability, and wheat production in the region is the superior system for achieving sustainability compared to maize production.